2016 Articles and Releases

Dietary Link to Stunted Growth Identified

03/01/2016

“The message here is not that these children are sort of low in one thing or 10 things but that they’re low in all of these amino acids and all of these kinds of fats,” said Manary, the Helene B. Roberson Professor of Pediatrics at Washington University. “And each of these has a role in turning on a key, necessary switch for growth.”The new research adds to the ever-developing picture of childhood malnutrition. Manary, along with CDI board member Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, the Dr. Robert J. Glaser Distinguished University Professor and director of Washington University’s Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, authored a study published Feb. 18 in Science that points to a dysfunctional community of microbes in the gut as a critical factor in childhood malnutrition. Their study indicates that the effects of gut bacteria may have far-ranging influence in the body and that manipulating the makeup of gut microbes has the potential to provide new ways to treat childhood malnutrition and promote overall healthy growth. Read the entire article on the findings here.